A Mount Holly man who allegedly held a knife to a teenager’s throat and threatened to kill him was sent to jail Wednesday following his arraignment on a felony charge.

Nathan M. Turco, 35, pleaded innocent in Rutland criminal court to a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge of simple assault.

Public defender Robb Spensley asked Judge Theresa DiMauro to set bail at $5,000 for Turco, but the judge decided that due to an alleged probation violation — Turco was released from jail on Nov. 19 for an earlier violation — and the severity of the crime that Turco should be held in jail without the option of release by bail.

“This is clearly disturbing behavior,” the judge said.

Vermont State Police began searching for Turco on Monday night, after 17-year-old Joshua Hekler told police that Turco hit him in the face and held a knife to his throat inside a house at 1329 Shunpike Road in Mount Holly.

Hekler, who came to the state police barracks at about 8 p.m. on Monday, told police that he was using a computer in a room at the house, owned by his aunt and uncle, when Turco entered the room and “assaulted him for no apparent reason,” according to an affidavit written by Trooper Jason Johnson.

Hekler told police that Turco pushed his hand into his face and then walked into another room where he allegedly told Hekler’s cousins “I bet he’s crying.”

When Hekler said he was not, Turco allegedly came back into the room with a knife in his hand that he pressed up against the teenager’s throat.

Hekler said that Turco told him that he could kill him and, before he left the room again, said he was lucky.

Hekler’s cousins told police that they were in another room of the house and didn’t see Turco threaten the teen with a knife. But one of his cousins said she saw Turco walking out of the room Hekler was in with a knife in his hand.

It was unclear in the affidavit how Turco and Hekler knew each other or whether they had met prior to the incident.

He was familiar to Heckler’s cousins who said Turco came to the house Monday night in the company of one of their friends.